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Eruditus Group
The Eruditus Group Attorneys at Law is an Earth based Federation Law Firm. Originating as the firm of Erris, James & Ford, Attorneys at Law in the city of Philadelphia 2006. The founding members specializing in tax, probate and property law. Ian Cochrane, BL. The current managing partner of the Eruditus Group is Ian Cochrane. Oxford-educated but enamored with his Scottish ancestry the Barrister of Federation Law can be found most times at his home in Edinburgh, Scotland. He dresses in traditional Dress Kilt at all professional functions. History Nicholas Erris, ESQ. The first Founding Partner, Erris established his tax and probate law practice in 1968 Lincoln Nebraska. Soon to move his practice to Pennsylvania, first Harrisburg, then Philadelphia in 1979. Mr. Erris was the attorney handling the establishment of the DeLancey Foundation in 1996. The partnership of Erris, James & Ford was created over the following ten years as the responsibilities, notoriety and resulting business from the Foundation grew. Malcolm James, ESQ. Malcolm James is listed as having passed the bar in Pennsylvania in 1997, after working as a paralegal for Nicholas Erris for several years. Five years later, Mister James was awarded full partnership in the firm. His specialty probate law. Johnathon Ford, ESQ. Johnathon Ford started his career in 1990 as a property law clerk, he was listed as part of the Pennsylvania Bar Association as early as 1991. Ford was brought in to be the third partner in 2006. Simon Smythe, BL. Records of the years between the passing of Nicholas Erris 2040 and Simon Smythe of Greenwich England joining the firm as a partner in 2080 are spotty. However, it is noted that Barrister Smythe was listed as Managing partner for at least six decades, an English law generalist and financial manager who retained specialists to join the firm to cover any points of law with which he was not familiar. Despite advanced years toward the end of his tenure, Simon Smythe was credited with significant growth economically of the Foundation assets usually outpacing other investments by as much as 10% per year. Simon Smythe was the last to have his name added to the partnership. As the managing partner, he oversaw the move to operations under the business name of the Eruditus Group 1979-2053 The firm operated from 1979 to 2053 at small offices an the prestigious address of 2002 DeLancey Place, Philadelphia. Fortuitous location as it was, the name recognition of the location is what lead to Mr. Erris being hired to represent Nancine DeLancey, better known as Anne Gale. As her representative, the Nicholas Erris was the Attorney of record and Executor of wills for Ms. Delancey. His firm continues to be the Attorney of Record for the DeLancey Foundation for the Preservation of Music and the Arts and the associated DFIG. 2049 William DeLancey II was hired and took a seat on the board of the firm of Erris, James & Ford, Attorneys at Law, stepping in as one of the three fund managers for the DFIG. 2053 May 1st, 2053, in the early hours of predawn, the city of Philadelphia was rocked by an attack. An unknown number of neutron tactical nuclear bombs were dropped on Camden and the Philadephia Naval Facilities. The initial blasts destroyed many of the non-hardened structures, businesses, and homes in the southern part of the city. The death toll from radiation exposure was catastrophic, and fires raged out of control for several weeks. Many of the dead could never be identified, and many more were never found. Only nine employees of the firm of "Erris, James & Ford, Attorneys at Law" were known to survive. Following the 'neutron bombing' of Philadelphia in 2053, the firm ceased operations for a time. Staff attempted to reform in the temporary office space on the grounds of West Chester University. The majority of junior partners (unnamed) and clerks had taken refuge in the familiar locale, as many were graduates of the college. The fates of the two senior partners were assumed dire and were unaccounted. The post-atomic horror to follow did not grant much in the way of mercy for those of the law professions. The disposition of the junior partners, paralegals and staff are lost to history, with the exception of William DeLancey and Paige Harrison who had been traveling at the time of the attack. They too were thought to be lost for a time, as they were out of contact as a result of the loss of communications and transit systems. 2084 At the behest of William DeLancey, the offices were reopened and much of the old fashioned paper records recovered intact. In the wake of the devastation of the war, most of the city was burned, but some of the historic areas such as DeLancey Place had survived for the most part. A Barrister from Suffolk England, where Mr. DeLancey had been residing for several decades, was brought in to re-establish family claim to the significant assets of the family foundation. With familial claim established ahead of the reforming government's deadline and at the behest of the family, Barrister Simon Smythe revived the law firm. He took over as managing partner, representing the DeLancey Foundation and family members. 2084-2102 Early philanthropic works were overseen on the behalf of the DeLancey Foundation, including restoration of nearly a dozen buildings making up the 2000 block of DeLancey Place]. The family-owned property was merged with the firm owned property in the establishment of the DeLancey Place Conservatory 2102 In May of 2102, the law offices of Erris, James, Ford & Smythe opened using office space in the now restored 2002 DeLancey Place building, which had been merged with 2000. The only client of the firm, however, was the DeLancey Foundation, and family members. The firm's name was officially changed to the Eruditus Group Attorneys at Law upon reopening. It's now additional mandate as per the request of William DeLancey, the family patriarch, was to attempt to identify and contact as many surviving members of the extended family as was possible. Mr. Delancey had lost many family members in the wars and wished for his two young sons and newborn daughter to know the richness of a large family, and to reconnect to the past. The firm oversaw the commissioning of the ''ECS Hieronymus'' ECS-1548, one of the newly developed J-class warp 2 capable freighters. CPT Jardani Halloway was appointed as Captain per foundation request. 2118 Upon the opening of the DeLancey Place Conservatory to the public, the law offices of the Eruditus Group were moved to Cambridge, England where they remain to this day.